Western Electric Transmitting Tube, Type 270-A, Used at Radio Station WWJ, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1935

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Artifact Overview

Vacuum tubes appear in older radios, televisions, amplifiers, computers, and other electronic devices. Their function: to amplify or transmit electronic signals. Typical tubes are sealed glass bulbs evacuated of gas, allowing electron flow to be influenced by an interior cathode, plate and grid. Perfected in 1906, the vacuum tube was the genesis of a communications revolution.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Vacuum tube

Date Made

1936

Creators

Place of Creation

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

90.0.85.597

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Canvas
Glass (Material)
Iron alloy
Porcelain (Material)
Wood (Plant Material)

Dimensions

Height: 24 in
Width: 10.5 in
Length: 10.5 in

Inscriptions

vacuum tube: Western Electric Made in U.S.A. 1338 shipping label: Western Electric Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. 270-A Vacuum Tube Made in U.S.A. [patent information] 1307510 . . . 1809099 crate, stamped: 968741K 2-7-36S Graybar Elec. Co., Inc. 55 W. Canfield Detroit, Mich. instruction envelope: Columbian National Clasp No. 85N Pat. 1,290,083 Pat. 1,593,048 The United States Envelope Company Springfield, Mass.
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